Power lines and telephone lines require the use of long lengths of cable which in more recent times must be threaded through underground conduits. Generally, the cable has been pulled by workers from a reel of cable or a length of cable had to be pulled by hand through a conduit. The amount of force required to pull a long length of cable is frequently very large because of the weight of the cable and the friction forces of sliding over the ground or through a conduit. Mechanical pulling devices which have been tried include a truck winch or a capstan. These systems have not been satisfactory because of damage to the cable and/or its insulation layer by sharp bending. Hand pulling is frequently not desirable because of the large number of workers needed for heavy cable and the corresponding expense.
It is an object of this invention to provide a novel mechanical cable puller. It is another object of this invention to provide a mechanical cable puller which can be driven with an electric hand drill, and which can be applied to the cable at any place between the ends of the cable. Still other objects will become apparent from the more detailed description which follows.